Educated Fort Collins ought to know better

Fort Collins citizens are known for their environmental awareness and love for the outdoors. The city is also home to an educated community, which allows for constant mental stimulation. But with these as our community ties, how can two of the biggest possible environmental impacts of our lifetimes be considered reasonable?

First, the proposition of Glade Reservoir is not the solution to our water needs. Spend the money and time instead educating the community and enforcing water conservation. If built, Glade Reservoir would sever the “lifeline” that Fort Collins was built upon and depends on for its seasonal flows.

Second, the possibility of mining uranium 11 miles from downtown Fort Collins and in proximity of more than 275,000 northern Colorado residents is not the solution to our energy needs. As an educated community, we would be foolish to repeat history and not learn from past accounts of devastation as a result of exposure to radiation.

As a lifetime resident of the state, I have always said, “Colorado is the hardest place to leave.” These changes to the area we all love would make the decision all too easy.

Vincent Carroll is The Denver Post's editorial page editor. He has been writing commentary on politics and public policy in Colorado since 1982 and was originally with the Rocky Mountain News, where he was also editor of the editorial pages until that newspaper gave up the ghost in 2009.

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